Once you are legally resident in Latvia and have moved into a home, declaring the address is one of the first administrative tasks to finish. If the declaration rules apply to you, a new address must normally be declared within one month from the day you start living there permanently.
The easiest option is usually the official online service. It is free and updates the Register of Natural Persons immediately. If you cannot use the online service, you can declare the address in person. The standard state fee for an in-person declaration is €4.27.
Who must declare an address in Latvia?
Latvia’s Declaration of Place of Residence Law requires a declared address from:
- Latvian citizens and non-citizens;
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and relevant family members, who have received a Latvian registration certificate or permanent residence certificate;
- foreign nationals who have received a Latvian residence permit;
- stateless persons who have received a Latvian residence permit.
A short visit, hotel booking or visa does not by itself give someone a lawful basis to declare an address. This guide is for people whose residence status already places them within the declaration system.
If you gave OCMA your Latvian address when applying for a residence permit, registration certificate or permanent residence certificate, that information may already have become your declared address when the document was issued. Check your current record before submitting another declaration.
Check whether your address is already declared
Use the official Declaration or designation of residence service or the linked My Data in the Register of Natural Persons service to check the address currently recorded for you.
This is especially useful after receiving a new residence permit. If the correct address is already recorded, you do not need to declare it again.
What counts as a lawful basis to live at the address?
You must actually live at the address and have a lawful basis to use the property. The law recognises several possible grounds, including:
- owning the property;
- having a rental or lease agreement;
- the right to use the property through marriage, family relationship or affinity;
- another legal or contractual right to live there.
The online declaration records the legal basis you select. You are not normally asked to present an identity document during the online process, and the information is entered in the register when the service is completed. Keep your rental agreement or other proof. The municipality may later check the declaration and request evidence if there is a reason to doubt the information.
If you are still choosing a home, read our guide to finding and renting an apartment in Latvia before paying a deposit or signing a contract.
How to declare your address online
The electronic route is normally the fastest option.
- Open the official Declaration or designation of residence e-service.
- Sign in using an available Latvian electronic identification method. OCMA lists eID, eParaksts, eParaksts Mobile and Smart-ID with biometric verification among the supported options.
- Choose the option to declare a place of residence in Latvia.
- Select the person whose address you are declaring. The service can also be used for a minor child or a person under guardianship when the necessary relationship is recorded in the Register of Natural Persons.
- Enter the address as it appears in the State Address Register. The service checks that the address exists.
- State your lawful basis for living there.
- Add one additional address only if you genuinely need a second contact address.
- Review the information and submit the declaration.
The online service is free. OCMA states that the new information is updated in the Register of Natural Persons when the service is completed. Check the result before closing the page or save the confirmation for your records.
How to declare your address in person
If you do not yet have eID, eParaksts, eParaksts Mobile or an eligible Smart-ID account, applying in person is a normal first step rather than a fallback. Submit the declaration to the municipality responsible for the new address or at any OCMA office.
For an in-person declaration, take:
- a passport or another identity document valid in Latvia;
- your Latvian residence permit or registration certificate, when applicable;
- the completed declaration form required by the institution;
- proof of payment of the state fee;
- representation documents if you are acting for a child or another person.
The standard state fee is €4.27. Some groups are exempt. Confirm the exemption and accepted proof with the municipality or OCMA before your appointment. The online service has no state fee.
Municipal procedures can differ slightly, including appointment and payment arrangements. If you are declaring in Riga, check the Riga municipality service page before visiting a customer service centre.
Can a landlord stop a tenant from declaring the address?
A landlord may not prevent a tenant from declaring the rented home as the tenant’s place of residence. This protection is set out in Section 15 of Latvia’s Residential Tenancy Law.
If you are the tenant named in a valid rental agreement, the agreement is a lawful basis for living at the address. You do not need a separate permission merely because the landlord would prefer that nobody declare there.
The position can be different for another adult who is not the tenant. A tenant may lodge a spouse and children after informing the landlord in writing. Lodging other people generally requires the landlord’s written consent, and the people living in the property should be identified in the rental agreement as required by the tenancy law.
Declaring an address does not give a tenant ownership of the property, extend an expired rental agreement or create an independent right to remain after the lawful basis ends. If the information is false or the person no longer has a lawful basis to live there, the municipality may examine and cancel the declaration.
Declaring a child’s address
A parent or legal representative can declare a minor child’s address. The child’s address does not always have to be the same as both parents’ address, but there must still be a lawful basis for the child to live at the declared property.
When the declaration is completed online, OCMA says that representation is checked automatically in the Register of Natural Persons. For an in-person application, take the documents requested by the municipality or OCMA to show that you may act for the child.
Declared address and additional address are not the same
You may record one additional address in Latvia or abroad together with your declared address. You can also specify the period during which you can be reached there.
An additional address does not replace the declared place of residence. Use it as a second contact address, not as a substitute for updating your main address after moving.
What happens when you move again?
Declare the new Latvian address within one month from the day you start living there permanently. You do not need to cancel the old Latvian address separately. OCMA states that the previous address is automatically replaced in the Register of Natural Persons when the new declaration is registered.
If you move permanently abroad, notify OCMA of your foreign address instead. The deadlines for reporting an address abroad depend on your status, so use the current OCMA instructions for residence abroad rather than assuming that the one-month Latvian moving rule applies.
Why the declared address matters
The declared address is the address used in your legal relationship with Latvian state and local authorities. It may also affect which municipal services are available and which state-funded family doctor practices are responsible for your area.
Our first 30 days in Riga guide places the declaration in the wider arrival checklist. Once the address is correct, see how to find and register with a family doctor in Latvia.
Common mistakes
- Submitting a second declaration without checking the register. Your address may already have been recorded through your residence document application.
- Choosing an address where you do not actually live. A declaration must reflect your real residence and a lawful basis to use the property.
- Assuming a landlord’s preference overrides a valid tenancy. A landlord cannot prevent the named tenant from declaring the rented home.
- Assuming declaration creates rental rights. It records an address but does not replace a rental agreement or extend the right to live there.
- Confusing an additional address with the declared address. The additional address is only a second contact address.
- Forgetting to check the completed record. Verify the result in the Register of Natural Persons and keep the confirmation.
Address declaration checklist
- Confirm that your Latvian residence status allows or requires declaration.
- Check whether OCMA has already recorded the address.
- Make sure you actually live there and have a lawful basis to use the property.
- Use the free online service where possible.
- If applying in person, confirm the documents, payment method and any appointment requirement.
- Verify the registered address after submitting.
- Declare a new address within one month after your next permanent move in Latvia.
Information checked on 16 October 2026.
This guide provides general information. Individual residence status, representation rights and the lawful basis for using a particular property should be confirmed with OCMA, the relevant municipality or a qualified professional when necessary.